I Hope You Dance

I hope you dance â€Å"And when you get the chance to sit it out or dance, I hope you dance. † (Sillers,2010, ll. 8. &9. ) If you had the chance to sit it out or dance, would you dance? This amazingly, inspirational song was written by Tia Sillers when she was at her breaking point, sitting on the beach just after going through a heart wrenching divorce. It really is peculiar that such an inspirational and beautiful song such as â€Å"I hope you dance† was written at such a devastating time.As she sat beside the ocean, pondering on all that she been through, she realized, things aren’t so bad. She interprets this in her lyrics by saying â€Å"I hope you still feel small when you stand beside the ocean. † (Sillers,2010, l. 5) â€Å"I hope you dance† is unmistakabley pulled from deep within Siller’s soul. Anyone who hears this song, and truly takes these lyrics to heart could undoubtedly pull themselves out of whatever strife they may be go ing through at any given time. With Mrs.Siller’s inspirational words, she truly has created the most breath taking song of our time. I have a very deep understanding of this song because â€Å"I hope you dance† has helped me through some extremely difficult times. I was homeless at the age of sixteen and ready to give up on the world when I first heard this song playing over the radio. With the help of Sillers words I was able to find the inspiration inside myself and keep going to school even if it meant sacrificing a day of pay from missing work.I knew that although things would be extremely difficult to attempt to be able to work enough hours to get my own place and attend high school on a regular basis, but with the help of her words I found the motivation within myself to give it my all. After three months I had saved enough money for the deposit and first month’s rent and my grades we’re decent enough for me to graduate on time with the rest of my p eer’s. Now that I am more stable things have become less difficult, but whenever I am having a hard time, I simply go to you tube and listen to Siller’s song. I hope you dance† has undoubtedly shed light on an endless number of suffering souls.â€Å"Don’t let some Hellbent heart leave you bitter, when you come close to selling out reconsider. † (Sillers, 2010, ll. 15. 16. )Those lyrics convey the struggle life can throw at a person, but they are also telling them to never give up. Tia was trying to reach into the hearts of all the suffering souls out there, and try to get them to look at the bigger picture. â€Å"May you never take one single breath for granted. (Sillers, 2010, l. 3) Tia was trying to get the point across that life is a gift, and to simply sit it out and let it pass you by could be a tremendous mistake that no one can ever take back. She also indicates this in like thirteen: â€Å"Livin might mean takin chances, but they’re worth takin. † (Sillers, 2010, l. 13. ) Throughout life there are many obstacles to overcome, and not every road you take will be a smooth one, but the bumpiest road, will often lead you to the greenest field.Siller’s showed an understanding for this by writing â€Å"I hope you never fear those mountains in the distance. Never settle for the path of least resistance. † (Sillers, 2010, ll. 11. 12. ) Every successful person has had to struggle in life, but with struggle, comes satisfaction. If every person was able to listen to this song, but not just listen, understand this song, I feel as though statistics such as the high school drop-out rate, or the college drop-out rate would decrease.Giving up would simply not be an option. Sometimes we all need a little inspiration, something to get us motivated and focused on the bigger picture. Life is about making mistakes, Siller’s portrays this perfectly by saying â€Å"Whenever one door closes I hope one more opens. † (Sillers, 2010, l. 6. ) Although doors may close, and devastation may take a toll on a person’s life, one needs to be able to pick themselves back up, and open another door, but not just for the sake of moving, but for their own satisfaction.If â€Å"I hope you dance† was listened by everyone at least once a day, people would be able to find it in themselves to pick themselves up and keep moving forward, for with every step one takes forward is another step closer to their ultimate goal of success. No one would drown themselves in their own self-pity, for they could find the inspiration in themselves through the understanding of the lyrics of â€Å"I hope you dance. †References Kawashima, D (2010) â€Å"I hope you dance† Retrieved August 28, 2012 from Song Writer Universe: http://www. songwriteruniverse. com/sillers. htm

3d Negotiation

www. hbr. org Savvy negotiators not only play their cards well, they design the game in their favor even before they get to the table. Playing the Whole Game 3-D Negotiation by David A. Lax and James K. Sebenius Reprint R0311D Savvy negotiators not only play their cards well, they design the game in their favor even before they get to the table. 3-D Negotiation by David A. Lax and James K. Sebenius COPYRIGHT  © 2003 HARVARD BUSINESS SCHOOL PUBLISHING CORPORATION. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. What stands between you and the yes you want? In our analysis of hundreds of negotiations, we’ve uncovered barriers in three complementary dimensions: The first is tactics; the second is deal design; and the third is setup. Each dimension is crucial, but many negotiators and much of the negotiation literature fixate on only the first two. For instance, most negotiation books focus on how executives can master tactics—interactions at the bargaining table. The common barriers to yes in this dimension include a lack of trust between parties, poor communication, and negotiators’ â€Å"hardball† attitudes. So the books offer useful tips on reading body language, adapting your style to the bargaining situation, listening actively, framing your case persuasively, deciding on offers and counteroffers, managing deadlines, countering dirty tricks, avoiding cross-cultural gaffes, and so on. The second dimension, that of deal design—or negotiators’ ability to draw up a deal at the table that creates lasting value—also receives attention. When a deal does not offer nough value to all sides, or when its structure won’t allow for success, effective 2-D negotiators work to diagnose underlying sources of economic and noneconomic value and then craft agreements that can unlock that value for the parties. Does some sort of trade between sides make sense and, if so, on what terms? Should it be a staged agreement, perhaps with contingencies and risk-sharing provisions? A deal with a more creative concept and structure? One that meets ego needs as well as economic ones? Beyond the interpersonal and deal design challenges executives face in 1-D and 2-D negotiations lie the 3-D obstacles—flaws in the negotiating setup itself. Common problems in this often-neglected third dimension include negotiating with the wrong parties or about the wrong set of issues, involving parties in the wrong sequence or at the wrong time, as well as incompatible or unattractive no-deal options. 3-D negotiators, however, reshape the scope and sequence of the game itself to achieve the desired outcome. Acting entrepre- harvard business review †¢ november 2003 page 1 -D Negotiation neurially, away from the table, they ensure that the right parties are approached in the right order to deal with the right issues, by the right means, at the right time, under the right set of expectations, and facing the right nodeal options. Former U. S. trade representative Charlene Barshefsky, who has negotiated with hundreds of companies, governments, and nongovernmental organizat ions to spearhead deals on goods, services, and intellectual property, characterizes successful 3-D negotiations this way: â€Å"Tactics at the table are only the cleanup work. Many people mistake tactics for the underlying substance and the relentless efforts away from the table that are needed to set up the most promising possible situation once you face your counterpart. When you know what you need and you have put a broader strategy in place, then negotiating tactics will flow. †1 3-D Negotiation in Practice Even managers who possess superior interpersonal skills in negotiations can fail when the barriers to agreement fall in the 3-D realm. During the 1960s, Kennecott Copper’s longterm, low-royalty contract governing its huge El Teniente mine in Chile was at high risk of renegotiation; the political situation in Chile had changed drastically since the contract was originally drawn up, rendering the terms of the deal unstable. Chile had what appeared to be a very attractive walkaway option—or in negotiation lingo, a BATNA (best alternative to negotiated agreement). By unilateral action, the Chilean government could radically change the financial terms of the deal or even expropriate the mine. Kennecott’s BATNA appeared poor: Submit to new terms or be expropriated. Imagine that Kennecott had adopted a 1-D strategy focusing primarily on interpersonal actions at the bargaining table. Using that approach, Kennecott’s management team would assess the personalities of the ministers with whom it would be negotiating. It would try to be culturally sensitive, and it might choose elegant restaurants in which to meet. Indeed, Kennecott’s team did take such sensible actions. But that approach wasn’t promising enough given the threatening realities of the situation. Chile’s officials seemed to hold all the cards: They didn’t need Kennecott to run the mine; the country had its own experienced David A. Lax ([email  protected] com) is a principal of Lax Sebenius, a negotiation-strategy consulting firm in Concord, Massachusetts. James K. Sebenius ([email  protected] edu) is the Gordon Donaldson Professor of Business Administration at Harvard Business School in Boston and a principal of Lax Sebenius. They are both members of the Negotiation Roundtable forum at Harvard Business School and the authors of 3-D Negotiation: Creating and Claiming Value for the Long Term, forthcoming from Harvard Business School Press. anagers and engineers. And Kennecott’s hands seemed tied: It couldn’t move the copper mine, nor did it have a lock on downstream processing or marketing of the valuable metal, nor any realistic prospect, as in a previous era, of calling in the U. S. fleet. Fortunately for Kennecott, its negotiators adopted a 3- D strategy and set up the impending talks most favorably. The team took six steps and changed the playing field altogether. First, somewhat to the government’s surprise, Kennecott offered to sell a majority equity interest in the mine to Chile. Second, to sweeten that offer, the company proposed using the proceeds from the sale of equity, along with money from an Export-Import Bank loan, to finance a large expansion of the mine. Third, it induced the Chilean government to guarantee this loan and make the guarantee subject to New York state law. Fourth, Kennecott insured as much as possible of its assets under a U. S. guarantee against expropriation. Fifth, it arranged for the expanded mine’s output to be sold under long-term contracts with North American and European customers. And sixth, the collection rights to these contracts were sold to a consortium of European, U. S. , and Japanese financial institutions. These actions fundamentally changed the negotiations. A larger mine, with Chile as the majority owner, meant a larger and more valuable pie for the host country: The proposal would result in more revenue for Chile and would address the country’s interest in maintaining at least nominal sovereignty over its own natural resources. Moreover, a broad array of customers, governments, and creditors now shared Kennecott’s concerns about future political changes in Chile and were highly skeptical of Chile’s capacity to run the mine efficiently over time. Instead of facing the original negotiation with Kennecott alone, Chile now effectively faced a multiparty negotiation with players who would have future dealings with that country—not only in the mining sector but also in the financial, industrial, legal, and public sectors. Chile’s original BATNA—to unceremoniously eject Kennecott—was now far less attractive than it had been at the outset, since hurting Kennecott put a wider set of Chile’s present and future interests at risk. And finally, the guarantees, insurance, and other contracts improved Kennecott’s BATNA. arvard business review †¢ november 2003 page 2 3-D Negotiation If an agreement were not reached and Chile acted to expropriate the operation, Kennecott would have a host of parties on its side. Though the mine was ultimately nationalized some years later, Chile’s worsened alternatives gave Kennecott a better operating position and additional years of cash flow compared w ith similar companies that did not take such actions. This case underscores our central message: Don’t just skillfully play the negotiating game you are handed; change its underlying design for the better. It is unlikely that 1-D tactical or interpersonal brilliance at the table—whether in the form of steely gazes, culturally sensitive remarks, or careful and considered listening to all parties—could have saved Kennecott from its fundamentally adverse bargaining position. Yet the 3-D moves the company made away from the table changed the negotiation’s setup (the parties involved, the interests they saw at stake, their BATNAs) and ultimately created more value for all involved—much of which Kennecott claimed for itself. How 3-D Moves Work Successful 3-D negotiators induce target players to say yes by improving the proposed deal, enhancing their own BATNAs, and worsening those of the other parties. 3-D players intend such moves mainly to claim value for them- selves but also to create value for all sides. Claiming Value. 3-D negotiators rely on several common practices in order to claim value, including soliciting outside offers or bringing new players into the game, sometimes to create a formal or informal auction. After negotiating a string of alliances and acquisitions that vaulted Millennium Pharmaceuticals from a small start-up in 1993 to a multibillion-dollar company less than a decade later, then–chief business officer Steve Holtzman explained the rationale for adding parties to the negotiations: â€Å"Whenever we feel there’s a possibility of a deal with someone, we immediately call six other people. It drives you nuts, trying to juggle them all. But number one, it will change the perception on the other side of the table. And number two, it will change your self-perception. If you believe that there are other people who are interested, your bluff is no longer a bluff; it’s real. It will come across with a whole other level of conviction. † (For more on Millennium, see â€Å"Strategic Deal-making at Millennium Pharmaceuticals,† HBS case no. 9-800032. ) While negotiators should generally try to improve their BATNAs, they should also be aware that some of the moves they make might inadvertently worsen their walkaway options. For instance, several years ago, we The Three Dimensions of Negotiation Our research shows that negotiations succeed or fail based on the attention executives pay to three common dimensions of deal making. Focus Common Barriers Interpersonal issues, poor communication, â€Å"hardball† attitudes Approach Act â€Å"at the table† to improve interpersonal processes and tactics Copyright  © 2003 Harvard Business School Publishing Corporation. All rights reserved. page 3 1-D 2-D 3-D Tactics (people and processes) Deal design (value and substance) Lack of feasible or desirable agreements Go â€Å"back to the drawing board† to design deals that unlock value that lasts Make moves â€Å"away from the table† to create a more favorable scope and sequence Setup (scope and sequence) Parties, issues, BATNAs, and other elements don’t support a viable process or valuable agreement harvard business review †¢ november 2003 3-D Negotiation worked with a U. S. manufacturing firm on its joint-venture negotiations in Mexico. The company had already researched possible cultural barriers and ranked its three potential partners according to the competencies it found most desirable in those companies. After approaching the negotiations in a culturally sensitive spirit, and in what had seemed a very logical sequence, the U. S. team had nevertheless come to an impasse with the most attractive partner. The team abandoned those talks and was now deep into the process with the second most desirable candidate—and again, things were going badly. Imagine subsequent negotiations with the third, barely acceptable, partner if the second set of talks had also foundered—in an industry where all would quickly know the results of earlier negotiations. As each set of negotiations failed, the U. S. irm’s BATNA—a deal with another Mexican company or no joint venture at all—became progressively worse. Fortunately, the U. S. company opened exploratory discussions with the third firm in parallel with the second. This helped the U. S. company to discover which potential partner actually made the most business sense, to avoid closing options prematurely, and to take ad vantage of the competition between the Mexican companies. The U. S. business should have arranged the process so that the prospect of a deal with the most desirable Mexican partner would function as its BATNA in talks with the second most desirable partner, and so on. In short, doing so would have created the equivalent of a simultaneous four-party negotiation (structured as one U. S. firm negotiating in parallel with each of the three Mexican firms) rather than three sequential two-party negotiations. This more promising 3-D setup would have greatly enhanced whatever 1-D cultural insight and tactical ingenuity the U. S. firm could muster. In addition to strengthening their own position, 3-D negotiators who add parties and issues to a deal can weaken the other side’s BATNA. For instance, when Edgar Bronfman, former CEO of Seagram’s and head f the World Jewish Congress, first approached Swiss banks asking them to compensate Holocaust survivors whose families’ assets had been unjustly held since World War II, he felt stonewalled. Swiss banking executives saw no reason to be forthcoming with Bronfman; they believed they were on strong legal ground because the restitution issue had been settled years ago. But after eight months of lobbying by Bronfman, the World Jewish Congress, and others, the negotiations were dramatically expanded—to the detriment of the Swiss. The bankers faced a de facto coalition of interests that credibly threatened the lucrative Swiss share of the public finance business in states such as California and New York. They faced the divestiture by huge U. S. pension funds of stock in Swiss banks as well as in all Swissbased companies; a delay in the merger between Swiss Bank and UBS over the â€Å"character fitness† license vital to doing business in New York; expensive and intrusive lawsuits brought by some of the most formidable U. S. class-action attorneys; and the wider displeasure of the U. S. overnment, which had become active in brokering a settlement. Given the bleak BATNA the Swiss bankers faced, it’s hardly surprising that the parties reached an agreement, including a commitment from the Swiss bankers to pay $1. 25 billion to survivors. It was, however, an almost unimaginable outcome at the beginning of the small, initially private game in which the Swiss seemed to hold all the cards. Another way for negotiators to claim value is to shift the issues under discussion and the interests at stake. Consider how Microsoft won the browser war negotiations. In 1996, AOL was in dire need of a cutting-edge Internet browser, and both Netscape and Microsoft were competing for the deal. The technically superior, market-dominant Netscape Navigator vied with the buggier Internet Explorer, which was then struggling for a market foothold but was considered by Bill Gates to be a strategic priority. A confident, even arrogant, Netscape pushed for a technically based â€Å"browser-for-dollars† deal. In the book aol. com, Jean Villanueva, a senior AOL executive, observed, â€Å"The deal was Netscape’s to lose. They were dominant. We needed to get what the market wanted. Most important, we saw ourselves as smaller companies fighting the same foe—Microsoft. † But when all was said and done, it was Microsoft that had etched a deal with AOL. The software giant would provide Explorer to AOL for free and had promised a series of technical adaptations in the future. Microsoft had also agreed that AOL client software would be bun- harvard business review †¢ november 2003 page 4 3-D Negotiation Microsoft shifted the negotiations from Netscape’s technical browser-for-dollars deal toward wider business issues on which it held a decisive edge. led with the new Windows operating system. Microsoft—a direct competitor to AOL— would place the AOL icon on the Windows desktop right next to the icon for its own online service, the Microsoft Network (MSN). AOL’s position on â€Å"the most valuable desktop real estate in the world† would permit it to reach an additional 50 million people per year at effectively no cos t, compared with its $40 to $80 per-customer acquisition cost incurred by â€Å"carpet bombing† the country with AOL disks. In effect, Bill Gates sacrificed the mediumterm position of MSN to his larger goal of winning the browser war. How did 3-D moves swing the negotiations in Microsoft’s favor? Microsoft’s Web browser was technically inferior to Netscape’s, so the chances of Microsoft winning on those grounds were poor, regardless of its negotiating skills and tactics at the table. Instead, Microsoft shifted the negotiations from Netscape’s technical browser-for-dollars deal toward wider business issues on which it held a decisive edge. Rather than focus on selling to the technologists, Microsoft concentrated on selling to AOL’s businesspeople. As AOL’s lead negotiator and head of business development, David Colburn, stated in his deposition to the Supreme Court in 1998, â€Å"The willingness of Microsoft to bundle AOL in some form with the Windows operating system was a critically important competitive factor that was impossible for Netscape to match. † Instead of trying to skillfully play a poor hand when dealing with party X on issues A and B, Microsoft changed the game toward a more compatible counterpart Y, emphasizing issues C, D, and E, on which it was strong. These examples of 3-D value-claiming moves conflict with the standard 1-D interpersonal approach to negotiation. Actions taken away from the table—sharply altering parties and issues, restructuring and resequencing the process, changing BATNAs—are not primarily about 1-D interpersonal skills but rather about enhancing the underlying setup of the negotiation itself. Creating Value. By adding complementary parties or issues to the negotiating process, 3D negotiators can not only claim value for themselves but also create more value for all parties involved. In Co-opetition, their influential book on business strategy, Adam Brandenburger and Barry Nalebuff explored the con- ept of the value net, or the collection of players whose potential combination and agreement can create value. 3-D negotiators often facilitate in the development of such value nets. They scan beyond their specific transactions for compatible players with complementary capabilities or valuations, and they craft agreements that profitably incorporate these players. The world of foreign affairs offers many examples in which potentially valuable bilateral deals can be impossible unless a third party with complementary interests is included. In a 1985 issue of Negotiation Journal, University of Toronto professor and international negotiation specialist Janice G. Stein wrote the following about the importance of Henry Kissinger’s 3-D role in a crucial Middle East negotiation: â€Å"The circular structure of payment was essential to promoting agreement among the parties. Egypt improved the image of the United States in the Arab world, especially among the oil-producing states; the United States gave Israel large amounts of military and financial aid; and Israel supplied Egypt with territory. Indeed, a bilateral exchange between Egypt and Israel would not have succeeded since each did not want what the other could supply. † In an example from the business world, the owners of a niche packaging company with an innovative technology and a novel product were deep in price negotiations to sell the company to one of three potential buyers, all of them larger packaging operations. Instead of mainly working with its bankers to make the case for a higher valuation and to refine its at-the-table tactics with each packaging industry player, the niche player took a 3-D approach. Its broader analysis suggested that one of its major customers, a large consumer goods firm, might particularly value having exclusive access to the niche player’s technologies and packaging products, so it brought the consumer goods firm into the deal. The move uncovered a completely new source of potential value—and a much higher potential selling price. It also increased the pressure on the larger packaging companies: They would face more competition and might not be able offer the same kind of exclusive, customized packaging service to their customers. The potential elements of a value net are not always obvious at the start of a negotia- arvard business review †¢ november 2003 page 5 3-D Negotiation Mapping Backward to Yes What does a sophisticated 3-D strategy look like? Consider the experience of Henry Iverson and his partners, who acquired Concord Pulp and Paper (CPP) for $8. 5 million in a highly leveraged transaction. (All company names and details have b een disguised. ) After the basic deal was done, they needed additional financing to make profitable improvements at CPP. Federal Street Bank (FSB) turned them down flat, even after they had used such 1-D tactics as persuasive appeals and elegant lunches. It was time to move into the 3-D realm. But first, some background. To acquire CPP from its creditors, Iverson and his partners had put up $700,000 in equity and obtained $7. 8 million in financing from FSB, consisting of a $1. 3 million short-term loan against receivables and a $6. 5 million loan against assets. Soon after, the opportunity arose for CPP to add a recovery boiler, which would increase plant capacity by 100 tons a day, improve overall quality and margins, and boost yearly net cash flow by $4. 1 million. The boiler would cut CPP’s emissions in its host town of Concord by 95%. Over a two-year construction period, the boiler project would cost $9 million, $6 million of which would go to Bathurst and Felson Engineering (BFE) and the rest to smaller contractors. The FSB loan officer who delivered the bad news cited the bank’s policies: â€Å"We will loan against 50% of unencumbered inventory and 80% of receivables. CPP has neither, and its capital structure is already 93% leveraged. † When Iverson pressed, he was told that if he had more equity, FSB might consider a short-term construction loan—but only if a credible third party would provide guaranteed takeout financing after two years. So Iverson used 3-D negotiating tactics to scan widely and map backward from his current predicament to establish the prior agreements (with as-yet uninvolved parties) that would maximize the chances of an ultimate yes from the bank. Involve UIC. Iverson approached two insurance companies for takeout financing. Unified Insurance Company (UIC) had the most attractive fee structure; Worldwide Insurance had higher fees and was uninterested. Both flatly stated, â€Å"CPP is too leveraged. † Moreover, UIC would only lend against the cash flow of fully completed projects. Iverson coaxed a deal letter from UIC: For a commitment fee plus a share of increased profits from the boiler, Unified agreed to lend, conditional on the successful completion of the project—and more equity in CPP’s capital structure. Involve the EDA. Iverson’s attempts to raise more equity from investors failed, so he dug further and learned that the U. S. Economic Development Administration (EDA) could make junior (subordinated) loans to firms for certified job-creating projects; the overall loan limit was equal to the number of jobs times $50,000. Since the recovery boiler project would generate at least 30 new full-time jobs, this implied a junior 1. 2. loan of up to $1. 5 million. However, the EDA loan had to be 50% matched by a Local Development Administration (LDA), which did not exist in Concord. At this point, Iverson took stock of the barriers: the engineer wouldn’t proceed without money and, in any case, wouldn’t guarantee more than the boiler itself—the only thing BFE would build. The rest of the required system would be complex. Local and regional contractors were in no position to guarantee the overall project. FSB wouldn’t do a construction loan without guaranteed takeout financing and more equity. UIC wouldn’t do permanent takeout financing without a successful project and more equity. The EDA wouldn’t lend without matching funds from the LDA and a guarantee of a successful, certified, job-creating project. And there was no LDA to certify the jobs or provide matching funds. Involve the Town of Concord. Undaunted, Iverson approached the 3. Concord Town Council and proposed that it form an LDA, which could raise matching funds, to facilitate the recovery boiler project. He argued that construction and operation of the project would create new jobs and dramatically cut CPP’s odors and pollution levels. And it would add at least $180,000 a year in property taxes if the new boiler were built. The council received these arguments favorably but, before committing, wanted assurances that the project would actually work. Involve Derano. In great need of some plausible guarantee of project success, Iverson approached Derano, a large, national (bondable) engineering, design, and project management firm. Derano expressed serious doubts about managing an already-designed project with BFE and local contractors in place. But by offering to pay above the normal fee, Iverson got Derano to manage the overall project and to give a nonrecourse performance â€Å"guarantee†Ã¢â‚¬â€all conditional on CPP’s raising project financing. 4. harvard business review †¢ november 2003 page 6 3-D Negotiation Concord Pulp and Paper starts negotiations for funding here Derano (national project management firm) †¢ funding Finish 5 Town of Concord â€Å"guaranteed† project †¢ less pollution †¢ more jobs †¢ lower taxes Start 1 Recovery Boiler Project Bathurst and Felson Engineering †¢ funding 4 2 Economic Development Administration †¢ LDA †¢ certified jobs †¢ matching funds Federal Street Bank †¢ more equity †¢ guaranteed takeout financing Unified Insurance Company †¢ more equity †¢ actual project 8 7 6 LDA Go back to Concor d with Derano deal. Carrying Derano’s letter that gave the provisional guarantee, Iverson revisited Concord’s Town Council, which agreed to create an LDA. The LDA would be instructed to issue bonds for $500,000, backed by tax revenue increases and presold to wealthy citizens, local and regional contractors, and other area businesses. As a government entity, the LDA would also formally certify the expected successful job-creation impact of the recovery-boiler project. Go back to the EDA with the Derano letter and the LDA commitments. Iverson approached the EDA, arm-in-arm with the Concord LDA, which brought matching fund commitments and its formal job certification 5. 6. along with Derano’s guarantee) of the boiler project. With this backing, EDA committed to a $1 million junior (subordinated) loan (plus the $500,000 matching loan from Concord’s LDA)— all conditional on Iverson’s obtaining construction and long-term financing. Go back to UIC to modify its â€Å"more equity† provision. Iverson successfully negotiated with Unified Insurance to modify the â€Å"more equity† term of its commitment l etter to include junior debt, since the EDA–LDA subordinated debt met UIC’s real interest in a greater financial cushion for the UIC loan. Go back to FSB with Derano, LDA and EDA commitments, and UIC modification. Returning to the bank, Iverson argued that EDA–LDA loans 7. 8. would provide the functional equivalent of FSB’s requirement for more equity. In making the case to the riskaverse loan officer, he tactfully noted that UIC, a â€Å"notoriously demanding creditor,† was willing to treat it as such to financially cushion UIC’s permanent financing. Surely that would be adequate to protect FSB’s brief twoyear exposure. With this condition met—and given Derano’s performance â€Å"guarantee† and the LDA’s certification—the bank agreed that UIC’s commitment letter met its interest in guaranteed takeout financing. FSB’s new construction-loan commitment unlocked the EDA–LDA money, which started funds flowing to Derano and BFE. And the project was launched. harvard business review †¢ november 2003 Copyright  © 2003 Harvard Business School Publishing Corporation. All rights reserved. 3 page 7 3-D Negotiation tion. For example, a U. S. European conservation group wished to preserve the maximum amount of rain-forest habitat in a South American country. From membership contributions and foundation support, the conservation group had U. S. dollars it could use (after converting the dollars to local currency at the official exchange rate) to buy development rights. The owner of the land and the conservation group negotiated hard and tentatively agr eed on an amount of rain forest to be protected and a price per hectare based on local currency. But 3-D thinking ultimately improved the deal for all sides. The host country was indebted in dollar-denominated bonds, which were trading at a 45% discount to their face value (given their perceived default risk). The country had to use scarce dollar-export earnings, needed for many pressing domestic purposes, to keep its debtservice obligations current; of course, interest payments were determined by the face value of the debt, not the bond discount. These facts suggested that more value could have been created by adding two other sets of players to the initial negotiation between the landowner and the conservation group. In this green variant of a debt-for-equity swap, the conservation group bought country debt from foreign holders at the prevailing 45% discount. It then brought this debt to the country’s Central Bank and negotiated its redemption for local currency at a premium between the discounted value of the debt and its full-dollar face value (up to an 82% premium over the discounted value). The conservation group then used this greater quantity of local currency from the Central Bank to buy more development rights from the landowner at a somewhat higher unit price. This expanded four-party negotiation—sequentially involving the conservation group, international bondholders, the Central Bank, and the landowner—benefited everyone more than the best result possible in the initial negotiation between just the landowner and the conservation group. The bank was able to retire debt and cancel dollar-interest obligations, which were very costly to the country, using cheaper (to it) local currency without exporting more or diverting scarce export earnings. The conservation group was able to save more rain forest at the same dollar cost, and the landowner got a higher price in a currency it as better positioned to use. To find complementary parties and issues, as the conservation group did, you should ask questions that focus on relative valuation. What uninvolved parties might highly value elements of the present negotiation? What outside issues might be highly valued if they were incorporated into the process? Are there any parties outsid e the immediate negotiations that can bear part of the risk of the deal more cheaply than the current players? On the other hand, it is sometimes necessary to shrink—or at least stage—the set of involved issues, interests, and parties in order to create value. For example, rather than enter into a full multiparty process at the outset, an industry association that wants to negotiate a certain set of standards may benefit from first seeking agreement between a few dominant players, which would then serve as the basis for a later deal among the wider group. Or, negotiations to forge a multi-issue strategic alliance between two firms may be dramatically simplified by one side which instead proposes an outright acquisition. Certainly, the form chosen for a transaction can dramatically affect the complexity of negotiations and the value to be had. The planned merger of equals by Bell Atlantic and Nynex would have required separate negotiations with regulatory authorities in each of the 13 states served by the companies. To avoid having to undergo politically charged negotiations at 13 different tables, the parties changed the game by creating a functionally equivalent structure in which Bell Atlantic was the nominal acquirer. Indeed, it can be necessary to change the process, rather than the substance, of a negotiation. For example, two partners seeking to terminate their relationship may have difficulty determining exactly who gets what. But they may instead be able to agree to a special mechanism like the â€Å"Texas shoot-out,† in which one side names a price at which it would be either a buyer (of the other’s shares) or a seller (of its own shares) and the other side must respond. Often, changing the form of a negotiation by bringing in a skilled third-party mediator creates value. For example, two intensive mediation efforts by outside parties helped to finally thaw the frozen negotiations between Microsoft and the Justice Department. Many fundamentally different variants arvard business review †¢ november 2003 page 8 3-D Negotiation of mediation, arbitration, and other special mechanisms exist, but all are options to change the game itself rather than efforts to negotiate more effectively by purely interpersonal means. Implementing a 3-D Negotiation Strategy Sophisticated negotiators act in all three dimensions to create and claim value. While 3-D negotiators should play the existing game well , as tacticians and deal designers, they should also act as entrepreneurs, seeking to create a more favorable target game. They can do so by scanning widely to identify possible elements of a more favorable setup; â€Å"mapping backward† from the most promising structure for the deal to the current setup; and managing and framing the flow of information to improve their odds of getting to yes. Scan widely. To act outside the box, one must first look outside the box. By searching beyond the immediate deal on the table for elements of a potential value net, 3-D negotiators can retrain their focus on complementary capabilities and valuations that other players might add. Useful game-changing questions include: Who outside the existing deal might most value an aspect of it? Who might minimize the costs of production, distribution, risk bearing, and so on? Who might supply a piece missing from the current process? Which issues promise mutual advantage? What devices might bring such potential value-creating parties and issues into the deal? And at what point does complexity or conflict of interest between parties call for shrinking the scope of the negotiation? Scanning beyond the current game to claim value normally focuses on a parallel set of questions: Are there additional bidders or parties who could favorably alter BATNAs in other ways? Can certain issues be linked for leverage? Such scanning should result in a map of all the actual and potential parties (including other interested groups within an organization, if necessary). You need to assess their actual and potential interests and BATNAs, as well as the difficulty and cost of gaining agreement with each party and the value of having its support. Your map should also identify the crucial relationships among the parties: who influences whom, who tends to defer to whom, who owes what to whom, who would While 3-D negotiators should play the existing game well, as tacticians and deal designers, they should also act as entrepreneurs. find it costly to oppose an emerging agreement with key parties on board, and so on. The founders of new ventures almost always need to scan widely in order to construct the most promising sequence of deals that lead to a self-sustaining company. Consider the situation WebTV Networks founder Steve Perlman faced in the early and mid-1990s. He had obtained seed funding, developed the technology to bring the Web to ordinary television sets, created a prototype, and hired his core team. Running desperately low on cash, Perlman scanned widely and discovered an array of potential negotiating partners—ISPs, VCs, angel investors, industrial partners, consumerelectronics businesses, content providers, manufacturers, wholesale and retail distribution channels, foreign partners, and the like. He needed to engage in 3-D analysis to determine the right subset of potential partners to create the most promising deals to build his company. Map backward and sequence. It is helpful to think of the logic of backward mapping as being similar to the logic of project management. In deciding how to undertake a complex project, you start with the end point and work back to the present to develop a time line and critical path. In negotiation, however, the completed â€Å"project† should be a set of value-creating, sustainable agreements among a supportive coalition of parties. For instance, when Perlman’s WebTV was almost out of money, it might have seemed obvious that he should approach venture capital firms first. However, because VCs were deeply skeptical of consumer-electronics deals at that time, Perlman mapped backward from his VC target. He reasoned that a VC would find WebTV more appealing if a prominent consumer-electronics company were already on board, so Perlman embarked on a sequential strategy. After his first choice, Sony, turned him down, Perlman kept reasoning backward from his target. Finally, he was able to get Phillips on board. He then used Phillips to reopen and forge a complementary deal with Sony. Next he negotiated new venture money—at a far higher valuation—since both Sony and Phillips had signed on. With new money in the tank, it was fairly straightforward to thread a path of supporting agreements through manufacturers, wholesale and retail distribution channels, content providers, ISPs, and alliance harvard business review †¢ november 2003 page 9 3-D Negotiation A 3-D player’s ability to determine whether a related negotiation happens before or after his own—as well as whether the results become public—can greatly influence the outcome. partners abroad. As the WebTV case suggests, a common problem for a would-be coalition builder is that approaching the most difficult—and perhaps most critical—party offers slim chances for a deal, either at all or on desirable terms. To improve the odds of getting to yes, figure out which partners you would ideally like to have on board when you initiate negotiations with the target party. As the answer to this question becomes clear, you have identified the penultimate stage. Continue mapping backward until you have found the most promising sequence of discussions. Consider the successful sequencing tactics of Bill Daley, President Clinton’s strategist for securing congressional approval of the North American Free Trade Agreement, as reported in a 1993 New Yorker article: â€Å"News might arrive that a representative who had been leaning toward yes had come out as a no. ‘Weenie,’ [Daley would] say. When he heard the bad news, he did not take it personally. †¦He’d take more calls. ‘Can we find the guy who can deliver the guy? We have to call the guy who calls the guy who calls the guy. ’† Beyond pure sequencing, the 3-D negotiator can use the scope of the negotiation—how elements are added, subtracted, combined, or separated—to influence the chances of bringing each party on board. Issues can be added to make a deal more attractive (as Microsoft did with AOL) or a BATNA less attractive (as happened to the Swiss banks). And by not bringing on board a party to whom others have antipathy, negotiators can increase the probability of their success. That’s what James Baker did when building the first Gulf War coalition; by omitting Israel from explicit membership in the group, he was able to attract moderate Arab states. Manage the information flow. Some negotiations are best approached by gathering all affected parties together, fully sharing information, and brainstorming a solution to the shared problem. Frequently, however, vital 3D questions involve deciding which stages of the process should be public or private as well as how information from one stage should spill over to or be framed at other stages. A wry story illustrates the potential of such choices to set up a linked series of negotiations. A prominent diplomat once decided to help a charming and capable young man of very modest background from Eastern Europe. Approaching the chairman of the state bank, the statesman indicated that â€Å"a gifted and ambitious young man, soon to be the son-in-law of Baron Rothschild,† was seeking a fast-track position in banking. Shortly thereafter, in a separate conversation with the baron, whom he knew to be searching for a suitable match for his daughter, the statesman enthusiastically described a â€Å"handsome, very capable young man who was making a stellar ascent at the state bank. † When later introduced to the young swain, the dutiful daughter found him charming, with enviable talents and prospects, and acceptable to her father. When she said yes, the three-way deal allegedly went through—to everyone’s ultimate satisfaction. Setting aside the dubious factual base and ethics of this negotiation, notice how the diplomat’s 3-D actions set up the most promising game for his purposes. By separating and sequencing the stages of the process, as well as opportunistically framing his message at each juncture, the statesman created a situation that fostered an otherwise most unlikely outcome. Of course, had the banker, the baron, the daughter, and the young man been initially thrown together in a face-to-face meeting, it is doubtful that even the statesman’s suave 1-D approach could have closed the deal. Analogously, potential investors should be wary of the common tactic of separating deals to close both: for instance, getting investor A to commit funds based on the commitment of â€Å"savvy investor† B, when B has indeed committed, but only on the informal (and wrong) understanding that â€Å"reputable investor† A has unconditionally agreed to do so. Negotiations to assemble land for a real estate project offer another good example of the importance of staging the release of information. Early knowledge of a developer’s plans can be quite valuable to landowners in the target area. Since landowners may use this knowledge to extract maximum price concessions in later stages of assembly, the need for secrecy and separation of the individual negotiations is usually obvious. Indeed, the choice of which parcel to buy first, second, and so on, may depend on the relative odds that a given purchase will leak the developer’s intentions as well as whether the parcels already obtained would permit some version of the project to go ahead, or whether they would be useless with- harvard business review †¢ november 2003 age 10 3-D Negotiation out a later acquisition. Indeed, a 3-D player’s ability to determine whether a related negotiation happens before or after his own—as well as whether the results become public—can greatly influence the outcome. For example, according to a 1985 article in International Studies Quarterly, while the United States was in separate talks with Japan, Hong Kong, and Korea over textile trade agreements, a Korean n egotiator told the U. S. representatives, â€Å"We’ll ask Hong Kong to go first, then see what they get. The Koreans apparently regarded Hong Kong officials as highly skilled negotiators, with better language skills for dealing with the Americans. An observer reports that, â€Å"After waiting for Hong Kong and Japan to go first, Seoul asked for the features they had secured and then also held out for a bit more. † In essence, the order chosen by the Americans (as encouraged by the Koreans) revealed information about the U. S. approach that was of great value to the Koreans. One wonders whether the Americans should have rethought the sequence and started with Seoul. erfecting these 1-D skills, negotiators should also be innovative 2-D deal designers who have mastered the principles for crafting value-creating agreements. And the third, often-missing dimension—actions taken to change the scope and sequence of the game itself—can be crucial to a negotiation that would otherwise be completely out of tactical reach. Negotiators must take care to keep sophisticated 3-D moves from blurring into the unethical and manipulative. Yet without 3-D actions, coalitions vital to many worthy initiatives could never have been built. To create and claim value for the long term, great negotiators should be at home in all three dimensions. To do anything less is to risk playing a one- or two-dimensional strategy in a three-dimensional world. 1. A complete set of sources for this article can be found at www. people. hbs. edu/jsebenius/hbr/3-DNegotiation. pdf. †¢Ã¢â‚¬ ¢Ã¢â‚¬ ¢ That negotiators should be good listeners, persuaders, and tacticians is a given. But beyond Reprint R0311D; Harvard Business Review OnPoint 5372 To order, see the next page or call 800-988-0886 or 617-783-7500 or go to www. hbr. org harvard business review †¢ november 2003 age 11 Further Reading Harvard Business Review OnPoint articles enhance the full-text article with a summary of its key points and a selection of its company examples to help you quickly absorb and apply the concepts. Harvard Business Review OnPoint collections include three OnPoint articles and an overview comparing the various perspectives on a specific topic. 3- D Negotiation is also part of the Harvard Business Review OnPoint collection Masterful Negotiating, Product no. 5410, which includes these additional articles: Six Habits of Merely Effective Negotiators James K. Sebenius Harvard Business Review March 2002 Product no. 9411 Negotiating the Spirit of the Deal Ron S. Fortgang, David A. Lax, and James K. Sebenius Harvard Business Review February 2003 Product no. 3051 To Order For reprints, Harvard Business Review OnPoint orders, and subscriptions to Harvard Business Review: Call 800-988-0886 or 617-783-7500. Go to www. hbr. org For customized and quantity orders of reprints and Harvard Business Review OnPoint products: Call Frank Tamoshunas at 617-783-7626, or e-mail him at [email  protected] harvard. edu page 12

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Devices and Practices for Sensory Impairments - Coursework Example There are a number of devices and associated teaching practices that may aid students with sensory impairments in the classroom. The devices include: It also gets referred to as closed-circuit television, CCTV. It uses a video camera to display enlarged images or wordings on a monitor or television screen. It gets used by people affected with partial visual impairment. It helps them overcome reading and writing difficulties caused by visual impairment. CCTV gets manufactured in different shapes and sizes to aid any low vision needs. The video magnifier gets used in the classroom by the teacher to assist the partially visually impaired students to be able to see slide displays on the white board in class. By magnifying the images and words in the slide shows, the students are able to see clearly, and follow what becomes taught in class hence realizing their full academic potential (Farrell,2005). This device gets used by visually impaired students with low vision to assist them in their class work. The students are adventitious visually impaired and can access their visual memory to develop conceptual understanding. The video magn ifier gets used by students with sensory impairments who have typical learning processes and learning modes: but whose ability to access information gets restricted in some avenues, or have a varying order of acquiring new skills. With this device, the student grasps more than 50 percent of what gets taught. As with a palm view display, their focus is on details, hence maximum absorption of the taught content. Use of effective teaching practices help in additional benefits as the students focus on the detailed description by the teacher as opposed to vague description by the teacher. Printing the reading materials in alternative formats prior to the classes also assists the student since through the use of the video magnifier, they are able to

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Hardship Letter - Essay Example Some may think we are truly naà ¯ve and impractical to believe in these vows, but those vows and our love have kept us truly together. We have cherished each moment we have been together and we would love it to remain as happy as we have been and include other family members. We wish to have children. If we have not had children up till this moment is because of my physical condition, my desire to continue my studies, and adapting to a new lifestyle (marriage). The first years of a marriage are crucial. Ten years from now, we will be in our late 30s. An age most people already have a stable family. We would hope that by that time we have already formed a family of our own, have had a home of our own, and have our children playing in the yard in this great country of The United States of America (USA). We would love to have that wish fulfilled, to live happily and enjoy life to its fullest in this land of opportunities. To achieve these dreams, I am currently working very hard to pay my way through higher education in exchange for a steady future, but without my wife keeping me company, my future has no sense of direction. It is impossible to build a family and dreams when we are to be apart. We have made commitments to remain together, to strive for what we believe in and what we want, and to make accomplishments together. Without my wife, our dreams of having our own children at a young, productive and reproductive stage of our lives would be seemingly impossible and senseless. I have been diagnosed as having a sub-fertile a condition where it is extremely difficult for my wife to conceive naturally unless we seek the help of medical professionals to perform an artificial procedure called IUI, as suggested by our physician. Consequently, the procedure would require both my wife and I to be present. If my wife is not here, the chances of her pregnancy are obscure if not to say impossible. This will mean that unless we are

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Investigation Plan - Assignment Example Anu. With regards to the questions that should be posed to her, the first of these is what specifically gave her the impression that she was not considered due to her ethnic background/religious views. Accordingly the second question would necessarily be whether or not the employer made any direct or indirect comments, whether legal or illegal with reference to national origin, religion, or any other aspects covered under the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Guerin & DelPo, 2009). Similarly, the second stakeholder that should be interviewed by the EEOC is the human resources manager. Although if this is a small firm, the human resources manager may very well be the same as the general manager, if it is a larger firm, the human resources manager will be a separate position in and of itself. The reason for this individual being chosen is due to the fact that the EEOC will need to determine the level and extent to which compliance with an appreciation of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 is current ly being exhibited within the firm and within the employment process. With regards to the specific questions that the EEOC investigator should ask this individual, these would necessarily be concentric around the questions that are generally asked during an interview process as well whether an offer of employment was made over the phone to Anu. This second question will have a great deal of importance with regards to the final discussion that will be integrated within this brief analysis; i.e. the proof and understanding of whether or not an offer of employment was made and if it was to what conditions, if any, existed within this offer. The final stakeholder that must that certainly be is the hiring manager was responsible for interview Anu. As a result of the previous, the EEOC investigator will be able to determine based upon the spinal be whether or not Anu ultimately has a case or not (Leonard, 2007). The first question should be asked to this hiring is how many employees he/sh e employed at the time that Anu was offered her position stop this is an important but is the answer to that that Civil Rights Act of 1964 only applied to firms with 14 or more employees. If the firm had fewer than 14 employees the time that Anu was offered her position, this negates involvement that the EEOC might be played with regards to get case. Additionally, the hiring manager should be asked whether or not there is any process or work that a potential higher might be responsible for that would require them not to wear a sari. This last question is due to the fact that the Civil Rights Act of 1964 specifically denotes that an employer can make an exception to the discriminatory clauses elaborated upon in title VII should there be what is known and referred to as a bona fide occupational qualification. As such, if an employee in the bakery is responsible for a job that would require that they not wear loose fitting clothing, this might be understood as a bona fide occupational qualification (Lavin & DiMichele, 2012). Finally, it should be strongly noted that the exchange upon which Anu was offered the job took place over the phone stop accordingly, there exists no legal proof as to whether any conditions of employment were integrated within the offer was given. By discussing this topic with both the HR manager and the hiring

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Assignment 1 inrenational relation - Term Paper Example The letter sent to former American president George Bush by the current Iranian president in 2006 clearly shows that the differences existing between America and Iran are not related to the nuclear issue alone. In fact the nuclear issue between America and Iran has not been mentioned in this letter. On the other hand, America’s efforts to baptize the entire world to Christianity, war on terror, foreign policies, stands on Middle East crisis etc are some of the major issues mentioned in the letter. This paper analyses the above letter and the prospects of diplomatic breakthrough during the Obama administration if Iran's nuclear file is resolved. Iran and America are two extremely diverse nations with respect to politics, culture, economy legal frame works etc. Iran is an Islamic republic and majority of the Iranian population are Muslims whereas America is a secular democratic country, dominated by Christian religion. â€Å"The government refers to a particular set of institut ions and people authorised by formal documents such as a constitution to pass laws, issue regulations, control the police etc whereas the state includes all the institutions and individuals that exercise power† (Hauss, p.8). ... Like most of the other democratic countries, elections were conducted to select the representatives of Iranian parliament; however the influence of religion and religious leaders in Iranian politics cannot be underestimated or neglected. Even though the president of Iran holds the supreme power in administrative matters, he cannot function against the interests of the religious leaders. In other words, religion holds the supreme power in Iranian politics and social life. Religion does not play any major role in the functioning of democracy in America which is evident from the fact that the current American president Obama not only has a black community origin, but also has a Muslim origin. In other words, America values people based on their individual merits rather than their pedigree or cultural history. Nobody can anticipate a person from another religion becomes the president of Iran. The influence of religion in politics seems to be a curse for Iranians. Because of the excessive influence of religion in politics, Iran forced to sacrifice many of the fundamental principles of democracy and caused immense damages to their political and economical growth. The influence of religion on politics is visible in the letter sent to Bush by Mahmood Ahmadi-Najad. In this letter Mr. Najad tries to connect religious beliefs with politics. He has asked Bush to make clear that whether his activities are in line with the teachings of Jesus Christ or not. The following excerpts are taken from the letter. About Israel: Is support for this regime in line with the teachings of Jesus Christ (PBUH) or Moses (PBUH) or liberal values? About massacres against the prisoners: There are prisoners in Guantanamo Bay that have not been tried, have no legal

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Nurses' Use of Water-Filled Gloves in Preventing Heel Pressure Ulcer in the University college hospital, Ibadan, Nigeria - Essay Example The interpretations considers the limitations cited by the researcher. When pick samples data organization was considered. â€Å"†¦ two units and who met the inclusion criteria constitute the study participants† (Polit & Beck, 2014, p. 473) The evidence given was the numeric data collected from the pick sample. The participant in the sample provided a rigid support for the results.† †¦have never used it in spite of its availability and common use as submitted bya nurse in one of the wards† (Adejumo &Ingwu, 2010 P. 474) The findings from the study were explained in light of other previous studies. â€Å"This is in support of Watson (19), who maintained that unless a nurse learns from experience, the learning is not good (Adejumo &Ingwu, 2010 p.476) In some instances, the researchers made some indefensible spontaneous inferences. â€Å"†¦ which does not make it scientific and as such lacks basis for clinical decision making.† (Adejumo &Ingwu, 2010 p.476) The rationales for rejecting alternatives were defective in that research involves search of information from a variety of sources.† In hypothesis testing, researchers assume that the null hypothesis is true and then gather evidence to disprove it.† (Polit & Beck, 2014, P. 230) The interpretation accounted for precision of the results. â€Å"In our study, the probability of obtaining a value of 71.0% female by chance alone was less than 1 in 10,000.† (Polit & Beck, 2014, p.230) The researchers pointed out the differences between practical and statistical significance. â€Å"†¦they are not well-suited for testing actual research hypotheses about the absence of relationships between variables or about equivalence between groups.† (Polit & Beck, 2014, P. 258) Some unwarranted generalization was evident in the results of the research. â€Å"Although it is difficult to depend on the rating of nurses based simply on their perception, success or failure of WFGs in prevention of heel PUs is difficult to

Explore the ways in which Collins presents the relationships between men and women in The Moonstone Essay Example for Free

Explore the ways in which Collins presents the relationships between men and women in The Moonstone Essay Explore the ways in which Collins presents the relationships between men and women in The Moonstone. Do male or female characters have more influence in the novel? In this essay I will explore the relationships between male and female characters in the novel The Moonstone. This essay will evaluate all of the key characters, from the annoyingly religious Miss Clack to the caring and loving Gabriel Betteredge. I will explore the characters personality and decipher whether male or female characters have more influence in the novel. The book is split into eight narratives written by different characters to show what each character is thinking and to give different perspectives as the events unfold. This technique also adds tension as certain secrets are hidden from individuals so not everyone knows the whole truth. Out of the eight narratives only one is written by a woman (Drusilla Clack) whilst all the others are written by male characters. The female characters in the novel are all very atypical, as they stand up for themselves and do not just give way. This was uncommon in the Victorian era as women had few rights and were not expected to be hot tempered. Miss Rachel, a young lady born into a rich family, acts in an unlady-like manner at certain points in the story, especially when she refuses to give information on what she knows about the diamond. Betteredge, one of the characters who knows Rachel Verinder best, said that he could Call to mind, in her childhood, more than one occasion when the good little soul took the blame, and suffered the punishment, for some fault committed by a playfellow whom she loved. This aspect of Rachels character and personality is shown many times in the novel, for instance, when she refuses to talk about the diamond for Franklin Blakes reputation would be shattered if she spoke. This gives the reader the impression that Rachel values her friends and family and she is a women of her word. This adds suspense to the novel and greatly effects the plot as if she had revealed what she knew then Franklin Blake would have been arrested and would not have had a chance of defending himself, resulting in the Moonstone never being found and Godfrey Ablewhite getting away, with no consequences. In the book the majority of the discoveries are made by men, although this is because the female characters already knew the truth; they just hadnt revealed it. One of the cases of this happening is when Franklin Blake deciphers the code to find Rosanna Spearmens chest. This held many secrets which Rosanna had kept silent about for a long time. This effects the outcome of the novel, as since Rosanna kept quite over her love of Franklin Blake, the truth of the moonstone being revealed is delayed, giving time for the events at London to unfold. The reader really gets the impression of Rosannas love of Mr Franklin Blake from this act, of saving his reputation, even though holding these secrets could be argued to be a massive factor of her eventual suicide. Despite this, Franklin never really notices Rosanna Spearman; this is probably due to the fact that in his eyes she is just a housemaid with a lumpy shoulder. Social class is outlined here, with the rich Franklin Blake and the poor Rosanna Spearman. The different social classes were more prominent in Victorian times and Collins also uses class in his other novels such as the woman in white, where Walter Hartright and Laura Fairlie fall in love, but due to Walters low social class, they separate. When Rosanna dies, it could be suggested that Ezra Jennings is introduced to replace her, as these two characters are very similar in personality and are both rejected by most members of society. They are also both attracted to Mr Franklin Blake in different ways; Rosanna has an undying love for him, and Ezra asks himself What is the secret of the attraction that there is for me in this man?. Both characters also had rough upbringings, as Rosanna was a thief as a child and Ezra was beaten and was mistreated mercilessly by his family. Ezra Jennings is also addicted to Opium, as for ten years past I have suffered from an incurable internal complaint. His addiction to the drug led to his painful and horrific nights, and Opium also destroyed his nervous system. Wilkie Collins probably introduced Ezra Jennings as a character which he could relate to, as Collins himself was addicted to Opium, which is probably why the drug plays such a significant part in the book. Collins believed he had an imaginary friend named Ghost Wilkie and often hallucinated in his sleep. His other novels have opium in them, so his way of relating to his addiction was to put it into his books. Opium plays a significant part in the book, as Ezra uses it in his experiment to discover who took the diamond. The reader feels uncertainty when the book dapples in the secret world of Opium as most readers would not have tried it and therefore do not know how powerful it is and what it can do. Gabriel Betteredge often talks about which side of Mr Franklin Blakes character is shining through, and believes it to be due to all of Franklins foreign training (Betteredge usually relates his strict character to Franklins German side, his poeticness to his French side, and his bravery to his English side). This gives Mr Franklin Blake no distinct character. This gives you the impression that Gabriel Betteredge is very stereotypically British, supporting his country and almost believing that the English are superior to others. Godfrey Ablewhite however, has a very different character which is hidden from the public view. He tries to get across the image of a hardworking gentleman who dedicates his life to the many womens charities he patronizes, when he is actually a man swallowed in debt and trying to rob people of their riches to pay it off. His debt was one of the key reasons why he asked to marry Rachel Verinder, as he thought that he would inherit enough money to pay off the debt; however that did not turn out to be the case. When Rachel asked for the marriage to be cancelled, Godfrey did not try to put up any resistance, as he knew that he would not receive the inheritance he had hoped for. Godfrey also gets engaged to another woman, but the marriage is broken off for similar reasons. At the end of the book, Godfrey is in disguise as a sailor with a dark complexion when he tries to get the Moonstone from the bank. This is symbolism as it outlines the fact that he is leading a double life, and he has a dark complexion as Betteredge and Franklin immediately suspected the Indians of stealing the diamond. Their immediate suspicion of the Indians affects the plot greatly as it means that Godfrey Ablewhite has time to hide the diamond without being suspected, as all eyes were on the Indians. The view the public have of him is different to what he is actually like, and if it had not been for Mr Matthew Bruff, the marriage might not have been called off. Miss Clack often swoons at the sight of Mr Godfrey Ablewhite; this is because she believes he is a hardworking Christian, and refers to him as gifted and wonderful. It is therefore no surprise that she is shocked when she, by chance, hears Godfreys proposal to Rachel. It is here that he admits that his, Charitable business is an unendurable nuisance and that if I see a Ladies committee now, I wish myself at the uttermost ends of the earth. Miss Clack is highly offended by this, as she is a member of The Mothers Small Clothes Conversion Society, but she dismisses this out of hand as being a slip of the tongue in the heat of the moment. Miss Clacks personality is very different to the other female characters in the book, as she is a character of a certain type of hypocrite. She never leaves without her Christian pamphlets and she often tries to spread her faith through these tracts. She may be doing this to turn more people Christian, or she may just be doing this as it is in her sphere of power and it makes her feel as though she has more influence on society. A perfect example of Miss Clacks character is when she visits Lady Verinder and Rachel, but upon realising that Lady Verinders doctor is trying to use medication to treat Lady Verinder instead of praying to god and waiting for him to perform a miracle, she spreads religious books of her choice around the Verinders house. She believes that this act did not make her a nuisance, but instead, a True Christian. Miss Clack has a very different opinion of herself compared to what other people think of her. Even the kind and loving Gabriel Betteredge, who has a good word to say about almost everyone, does not take well to Miss Clack. Before handing over the job of narrating to her, he asks the reader to Just do me the favour of not believing a word she says, if she speaks of your humble servant. This shows that she is believed to not be a teller of truths, and Betteredge is pre-warning the reader of what to prepare for. We believe what Betteredge says and not Miss Clack as he has shown himself to be an honourable character, worthy of the readers trust. Our decision to believe him and not Miss Clack is also influenced by other characters, as Franklin Blake often refers to him as a dear old friend, so others characters have respect for him as well. In the story, female characters do not reveal what they know straight away. This adds suspense to the story, as you have to wait a long time for the secret which will put together a new piece of the puzzle. A good example of this is Rosannas letter to Mr Franklin Blake, explaining where the chest is hidden, and inside the chest is Rosannas narrative which explains events before and after Rachel Verinders 18th birthday party leading up to Rosannas suicide told through her point of view. The letters opening is delayed however, as Limping Lucy refuses to give it to anyone other than Franklin Blake himself. This lets the events at London unfold, and the case of the Moonstone is put on hold for a short period. Limping Lucy is Rosanna Spearmans only friend, and was understandably angry at Franklin as she believed that he forced Rosanna into suicide. Limping Lucy has a severe limp in her left foot, and this may be one of the reasons why she and Rosanna are so good friends, as they both have physical deformities and are rejected by most members of society. I believe that female characters have more influence on the plot of the novel due to their actions which are gradually revealed to the reader. Superficially, male characters seem to have a larger role in the discovery of the secrets behind the moonstone but this is because they are only just digging in to what the female characters already know. The fact that male characters have almost all of the narrations add to the secrecy of the novel and also reinforces the point of male character seemingly having more influence and control of the plot, when all they are doing is discovering what is beneath the surface of an apparently settled world in the novel.

What causes Juvenile Delinquency

What causes Juvenile Delinquency Juvenile delinquency happens for many reasons. Poverty, abuse, and family tension are a few of the major reason for a child to become a juvenile delinquent. Steps need to be in place to stop and control some of the children that are falling through the crack of society and becoming ill-adjusted adults. Life is not always pretty, but that should not be a reason to commit crime. Movie Synopsis Freeway is a modern take on the fairytale Little Red Riding Hood. The movie depicts the struggles of Vanessa Lutz in school, her home life, and then as she tries to go to her grandmothers home after her mother and stepfather were arrested for prostitution and drug possession. Vanessa Lutz is severely, delayed academically, due to the multiple school changes that she endured because of her unstable childhood. Her years of being raised in the ghetto with her mother and stepfather added to lack of schooling she received. Vanessa started her criminal career years ago with petty crimes but this current string of crimes started with handcuffing her social worker to the bed. She did not want to go to foster care again. Her last experience in foster care was far from beneficial to her mental as well as her emotional health and she did not want a repeat performance. Vanessa had heard of her paternal grandmother, but had never actually met her or her father, for that matter. Before leaving town, Vanessa went to see her boyfriend Chopper, an African American gang member. She wanted to tell him that she is leaving town and to ask him to go with her. Her plans are to find her grandmother, who lives in Northern California and who does not even know Vanessa exists. Vanessa dreams of a great life with her grandmother, but doesnt even know if the grandmother is still alive or living in the same mobile park. When the car she is driving breaks down on the freeway and leaves her stranded, the person, who stops to help Vanessa, is Bob Wolverton, a counselor at a school for troubled boys. He talks Vanessa into accepting a ride from him and revealing intimate details of her life. When she realizes Bob is getting sexually excited as he learns the details about her molestation and rape by her stepfather, Vanessa gets mad and wants out of the car. Bob has removed the door handle from the passenger side door and Vanessa cannot get out the car. Vanessa realizes that Bob is the I-5 Killer, she heard about early in the afternoon on the Channel 5 news. Bob orders Vanessa to strip off her clothes. Vanessa says that she cannot get her pants off because of her boots. Bob allows Vanessa the freedom to get into the back seat to have room to remove her boots and pants. Once in the back seat, Vanessa pulls out a gun, the one her boyfriend gave her, orders Bob to pull off the next exit. She then asks him if he believes in God. When he says that he does, she orders him out of the car and shoots him in the head. She then vomits and shoots him three more times. Thinking that Bob is dead, Vanessa takes his money, credit cards, and car keys. Vanessa leaves Bob for dead and continues on her trip to her grandmothers house. After a while, she is hungry and she stops at a little truck stop style cafà © to get something to eat. When she walks into the cafà ©, she has blood on her hands from Bob and frightens the server. Vanessa goes to the bathroom to clean up and then she eats her meal. Immediately upon leaving the cafà ©, Vanessa is arrested for the attempted murder of Bob Wolverton. At the police station, a couple of police officers question Vanessa. Vanessa admits to shooting Bob Wolverton. She is cooperative and shocked that he did not die. She tells the police officers that Bob is the I-5 Killer, but they do not believe her. The police officers list her long list of petty crimes and tell her that Bob is a well-respected citizen with no prior criminal record or mental health issues. One of the officers starts teasing her and Vanessa becomes violent and starts hitting him, all the while spouting racial slurs at him. She is taken away in handcuffs and placed in a holding cell until her arraignment. Vanessa refuses to show remorse for her actions at her arraignment, insisting that Bob is the I-5 Killer. Vanessa makes fun of Bob because he has physical disabilities from the shooting and taunts him about his colostomy bag. The judge orders Vanessa out of the courtroom, no one acknowledging that Bob admitted he is the I-5 killer. She is placed in juvenile detention until psychological evaluations can be done. These evaluations are to determine her status of either an adult offender or juvenile delinquent. Juvenile delinquent status would be considered if it is felt she can she be rehabilitated otherwise she will be tried as an adult, if her mental capacity allows. Vanessa becomes friends with a drug-addicted lesbian and then confronted by the toughest girl in the pris on, Mesquita. Before Mesquita has a chance to hurt Vanessa, Vanessa beats her to a pulp, an act for which Vanessa receives solitary confinement. One of the police officers, who was assaulted by Vanessa, has a gut feeling there was more to the story than he had gotten from either Vanessa or from Bob Wolverton. He returns to her hometown to find out more about Vanessas home life. He was surprised to find Vanessas boyfriend was an African American, which was interesting to him considering the racial slurs she had spouted at him. Upon returning to the crime scene, he found previously overlooked evidence collaborating Vanessas version of the crimes. While in solitary confinement, Vanessa constructs a shiv from a toothbrush, plastic wrap, and a lighter, a skill learned from her stepfather. After returning from solitary confinement, Vanessa learns the psychologists feel she would not be a suitable candidate for rehabilitation, so she will stand trial as an adult. She also sees Bob and his wife on television and is disgusted they have been elevated to celebrity status and praised for the way they have persevered in the face of the shooting by Vanessa Lutz. Vanessa, Mesquita, and a pair of twin girls plan to escape from prison. The opportunity presents itself while the group is being transported in a van to the state prison. Vanessa and Mesquita use the shiv to kill one guard and seriously injure the other. They steal the van and then find Mesquitas boyfriend, where Vanessa is given a fake ID, clothes, and a gun. Vanessa and Mesquita share of moment of sisterhood, where Mesquita explains why she tried to intimidate Vanessa the first day she was in juvenile detention. Mesquita said that she had wanted Vanessa to put out for her and Vanessa states that she would put out for her any day. They share the joke and go their separate ways. The police officers finally conclude Vanessa was telling the truth about Bob Wolverton being the I-5 killer. They obtain a search warrant for Bobs house and the small shed in the backyard. In the shed, they find his stash of child pornography, sex toys, and trophies from his victims is found. When confronted with some of the items, Bobs wife, Mimi, realizes that her husband is a serial murderer and runs upstairs to commit suicide. Bob returns home from physical therapy to find his house surrounded by police cars, so he drives off to avoid capture. Using the clothes, she received from Mesquita, Vanessa poses as a hooker and lures a john into a back alley. Vanessa robs the john, forces him into the trunk of his car, and drives to where she thinks her grandmother lives. As luck would have it, the police officers realize where Vanessa might be going and decide to drive to her grandmothers mobile home as well. Upon arriving at her grandmothers home, Bob is dressed as Vanessas grandmother and is lying in bed waiting on Vanessa to arrive. Just like the wolf in the Little Red Riding Hood fairytale, Bob has killed Vanessas grandmother and waiting to devour Vanessa. They struggle with each other, firing a gun in the tussle. Vanessa manages to strangle Bob and emerges victorious in the battle for her life from the mobile home. The first words out of her mouth to the officers were, Yall got a cigarette? (Bright, 1996). Freeway, the movie, was directed and produced by Matthew Bright in 1996. What causes Juvenile Delinquency? Introduction Juvenile delinquency has increased thirty-three percent over the last decade (Loeber, Farrington, Petechuk, 2003) Human beings are unique and multifaceted creatures. Human offspring are just as multifaceted and as resilient as they are different. While scientist do not know why or how the individual personalities are formed, every person has a different personality and handles lifes situations in a distinct individualized manner. The movie, Freeway, depicts one of the worst living situations in which a young person can be reared (Bright, 1996). The events in the movie explain one possible outcome of a child raised in the ghetto area of a town. In an attempt to understand more thoroughly the young people who become juvenile delinquents, the individual, family, cultural and medias influence on children will be examined. Causes of Delinquency Delinquency is defined as an antisocial or illegal behavior or acts in violation of the law, which pertains to adults as well as young people (Encarta Dictionary: English (North America), 2007). Juvenile delinquency is  conduct by a juvenile characterized by antisocial behavior that is beyond parental control and therefore subject to legal action (Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, 2010). Some behaviors such as drinking alcohol are not deviant as long as the person doing the drinking is older than twenty-one years of age. A status offender is a juvenile, usually under the age of eighteen, which does something like smoking before the legal age to be able to participate in the particular activity. In other countries, something that is seen as deviant or delinquent in the United States may or may not be seen as deviant, but more of the norm of the country. In the United States, delinquency is determined differently in each individual state. For instance, North Carolina considers a six year old who commits a crime to be a juvenile delinquent, where a many states do not have a legally defined age to be classified as a juvenile delinquent. Risk factors are numerous depending upon the age of the child when the symptoms for delinquent behavior begins (Loeber, Farrington, Petechuk, 2003). Individual Aspects The psychological development of a child is personal and individualized to each child. A childs behavior is influence by his/her genetic, emotional, cognitive, physical, and social aspects. A person cannot help the genes, which he/she is born with, just as they cannot control the ability to learn. Young people, who are behind others of the same age academically, have been proven prone to criminal behavior. It is thought the less intelligent a person is, the more likely to commit crime he or she will be. There are many other factors, which influence a young person to be deviant or not to be deviant. This failure to express themselves appropriately causes anger and frustration to build. Many times, anger leads to depression or can lead to other more severe forms of mental illness (Mullis, Cornille, Mullis, Huber, 2004). One disorder, which could indicate the possible beginnings to juvenile delinquency, is oppositional defiant disorder (ODD). Oppositional defiant disorder is defined as a psychological disorder in childhood and adolescence characterized by excessive oppositional to tendencies to refuse requests from parents and others (Nevid, Rathus, Greene, 2008). Once a child adds to his/her defiance stealing, truancy and/or even rape, the child is considered to have Conduct Disorder (CD). Conduct Disorder is defined as a psychological disorder in childhood and adolescence characterized by disruptive, antisocial behavior (Nevid, Rathus, Greene, 2008). Antisocial behavior is inheritable (Nevid, Rathus, Greene, 2008). Antisocial behaviors is when a individual does not want to be around others, with draws from physical contact and does not behavior appropriate for the situation. Antisocial Personality Disorder (ASP) is defined as has been linked to a defect in a persons frontal lobes in a study of children who had committed deviant acts. (Wallace, Hesselbrock, Bauer, 2006). ASP is the mental illness linked with serial killers such as Jeffery Dahmer and Ted Bundy. An individual early in life usually displays symptoms of ASP, but the true manifestation is in the teen years. A problem some may over look as a predictor of future delinquency is sleeping problems as a child. If a child does not receive adequate sleep during his/her formative years, cognitive as well as neuropsychological problems may appear during adolescence (Gregory, Caspi, Moffitt, Poulton, 2009). When a child does not get adequate sleep, behavioral problems emerge as a symptoms that something is wrong. Cognitive and brain development depend upon getting enough sleep as well as enough good sleep. Good sleep is defined as sleep that includes several cycles of rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. REM sleep is important for the processing of memories as well as a time for the body to rejuvenate itself. Short-term memory is converted into long-term memory during the REM sleep cycles. A person cycles through four stages of sleep, which takes approximately ninety minutes per cycle. REM sleep happens at the end of the fourth cycle and gets progressively longer as the night goes on. Dreaming occurs during REM sleep. Many times dreams are a way for our minds to process the days events and to sort through the emotions that a person has had. REM is also the time in which the body is in a coma like state so that most of the blood flow is concentrated in the bodys core and head. It is a time for the muscles to relax and rejuvenate. A child without adequate sleep is a child without adequate cognitive function, which may influence his/her emotional and psychological health in the future and lead to delinquent behavior (Catrett, Gaultney, 2009). Attention Deficient Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a behavior disorder characterized by excessive motor activity and n ability to focus ones attention. The child is described as having ants in his/her pants, but cannot keep his/her mind on the subject at hand. The other element to ADHD is impulsivity. The child cannot make rational decisions due to the need to move and forgetting what is going on around him/her. These symptoms begin at an early age, sometimes as young as six or seven. Medications to combat the symptoms of ADHD can cause a child become zombie like. Vanessa, in the movie Freeway, may have been diagnosed with ADHD because of her inability to behave while in class at the beginning of the movie (Bright, 1996). This inability to be able to concentrate can lead to decrease intelligence if not caught in its early stages. Family Aspects As portrayed in the movie Freeway, children who grow up in a violent, drug-infested home do not learn the correct manner in which to express themselves or the extent of their actions has on their future. Children model their parents. If parents are doing deviant behaviors, child do not perceive anything wrong with doing the same behaviors. Just as Vanessa saw her mother working the streets in order to get money for the family, Vanessa posed as a streetwalker in order to be able to go to her grandmothers at the end of the movie. She learned how to make a shiv from her stepfather in order to escape from prison. Sometimes children have good parents, but still go astray from social norms. Family is important in forming a childs character. A child needs responsibilities, duties, and close family relationships as well as some privileges. Communication in a family is very important as well. Children notice the tension in a family no matter the cause and open communication is paramount to stop the children from blaming themselves for it. Parents want their children to talk to them about any problems that may arise, but often do not feel the need to allow the children to be information about family situations that affect the children. Children who do not have adequate parental supervision are more likely to be party to criminal activity. Single mothers working can be stressful for the entire family, because she is responsible for all the chores, childcare, discipline, and financial success in the home. Being a parent is hard enough when a couple shares the responsibility, doing an adequate job alone is nearly impossible. The more siblings a child has the less individual attention the child will receive from his/her parents. As a society, we spend less time with our offspring than most any other generation in history. Divorce has become an epidemic and many women are single mothers by choice more than ever before. Most children do not have a father in the home. Almost of as many children, do not even know who their father is or never see them on a regular basis. Women want to have it all, career, children, and freedom. The family unit appears to play the most important role in preventing as well as causing juvenile delinquency. A child that has been sexually abused is more likely to run away than any other child (Widom, 1996). This sexually abused child runs away thinking he/she will have a better life away from the abuser, but more often than not, the runaway becomes a prostitute to survive (Widom, 1996). Sexual abuse, physical abuse, and neglect are three ways that a family can assist a child into becoming a juvenile delinquent. A person is more likely to be abused by a loved one or someone know to the person than by any other group of people (Thio, 2010). Poor families struggle to put food on the table and many times children feel neglected or that the plight of the family is their fault. Doing without the necessities makes a child want the things he/she does not have, which can lead to shoplifting and other such deviant acts. Poverty in this great nation is rampant. We are the greatest nation on this earth and yet we have children that are going hungry and in need of clothing. The cheap food is not the healthiest of choices in most cases. Money worries cause many families to separate in order to receive assistance from the government. Divorce is often a cause for children to become deviant. Peer Aspects Peer pressure has long been seen as a reason for deviant behavior in children. Groupthink is where adults as well as young people seem to lose their ability to speak or act in the correct manner the more people are in the group. The term coined by social psychologist Irving Janis (1972), occurs when a group makes faulty decisions because group pressures lead to a deterioration of mental efficiency, reality testing, and moral judgment(Coon Mitter, 2010). Conforming to the crowd and acting as a whole instead as the sum of many parts is what happens to when young people give in to peer pressure. Peer pressure is one of the hardest delinquencies to avoid. Children with physical and learning disabilities are often taunted, which can often lead to anger. Young people, who are behind others of the same age academically, are prone to criminal behavior. It is thought the less intelligent a person is, the more likely to commit crime he or she will be. Cognitive function is necessary to rationally think about the consequences in situations and realize what will happen if you are caught doing a bad deed. Sleep quality has been linked to obesity in a chicken and the egg type scenario. Some say obesity is caused by a lack of sleep quality and other say the lack of sleep quality causes an increase in obesity. Obesity can be a reason for a teenager or adolescent to buckle under peer pressure to fit in with the group and participate in delinquent activities. Young people who are obese have a higher rate of depression, which can lead some to a feeling of helplessness (News to use, 2003). Helplessness can result in deliqency because the child doesnt feel that anything he/she does is worth while any way. Obesity has increased rapidly and some even call it an epidemic. President Obama signed a bill into law giving the United States Department of Agriculture the to set standards for public school lunches in order to combat obesity (Jalonick, 2010). Evidence has shown children are heavier now than at any other time in the history of the United States. The chart below is a little old, but it sho ws that in 2002, obesity was approximately sixteen percent in both children and adolescences. (Buggey, T. (2007). Social and Community Factors Teachers have to worry about their jobs, because of the No Child Left Behind policies. If students are not able to pass a certain percentage of test questions, the school will find teachers, who can make the students pass. The United States Government is mandating every one must pass in order for the teacher to keep her job. This is a lot of pressure on the teachers, who then pass the pressure on to the students. Some students arent able to handle the pressure and drop out of school. School dropouts cannot get a drivers license in many states until age eighteen. Many states do not allow dropouts to work, so getting into trouble is what is available to these young people. The teenagers are not in school, working or doing anything productive with their lives. Some have joined gangs as way of fitting in and having some status they have not otherwise achieved. Chopper, Vanessas boyfriend in the Freeway movie, was a member of a gang. She did not see anything odd about him being in a gang, it was just a way of life for her and him. Teenagers, who are loners, in recent years started committing crimes at their schools. Columbine High School shooting is a prime example of the dangers juvenile delinquents can participate in. They have nothing to live for and just want to have some excitement. Video games have taken over the children in this country. A child can play war games, running from law enforcement as well as shooting games. Their minds are not developed to be able to separate fact from fiction and many times, they think the person will stand back up if they shoot them. Teenagers working while in school has been encouraged throughout the last few decades. Currently, working teenagers have disposable income, which affords them the opportunity to commit deviant acts. The teenagers are more likely to smoke, drive recklessly, and engage in other deviant behaviors when they work while going to school (Thio, 2010). There is more of an opportunity to lie to parents and have time with other people the same age or older in order to commit these deviant acts. Music such as Rap has been blamed for violence, crime, and juvenile delinquency among black as well as other populations of youth. (Mahiri Conner, 2003). Television shows such as Jerry Springer have done more damage to Americas youth by exposing them to the most deviant and sexually explicit material than ever before in history. Our collective values have declined since the 1950s in the United States. Conclusion An increase of in the number of juvenile delinquents has been observed. A thirty-three percent increase has been noted in the last decade (Loeber, Farrington, Petechuk, 2003). Gangs are more prevalent in local cities than ever before. Drug related crimes are increasing. Violence depicted in movies such as Freeway, is common place to our young people. Schools need to have in place programs to help alleviate some of the baby sitting that is done by teachers. As a country, we need to stop worrying about everyone else around the world and take care of our children. Studies have been done to determine why we have so many juvenile delinquents and we need to so something to stop the progression. Deviant acts leads to juvenile delinquents as well as other criminals. Our young people need to be taught the importance of staying in school as well as a criminal record can follow them for the rest of their lives. Babies should come home with parents who have had parenting classes as well as CPR and first aid classes. Changes need to be made in our country to insure our most valuable resource is protected and taken care of properly.